1.2.

4 The Effect of
Technology on Outdoor
Experiences
GPS vs Map and Compass
WHAT IS TECHNOLOGY?
Broadly speaking, technology is how people modify
the natural world to suit their own purposes. It is
designed to make tasks easier for the user.

BRAINSTORM: What sorts of technology can you
think of that would affect an individuals outdoor
experience?
SOME OF THE WAYS TECHNOLOGY
INFLUENCES OUTDOOR
EXPERIENCES
Access to
outdoor
environments
roads, vehicles etc
Clothing,
sleeping,
camping gear
goretex, fleece, metal
alloys
Activity specific
gear
bikes, surfboards, canoes /
kayaks, skis
Venue
accommodation has changed
dramatically to incorporate
modern technologies eg. Smoke
detectors, sewage systems
Safety gear
radios, phones, GPS,
compasses, maps
Pre and post
trip images
how we get information about
an area without visiting it
and how we capture and store
information for recall after a trip
CONs - TECHNOLOGY AND THE
INDIVIDUALS OUTDOOR
EXPERIENCE
Technology has allowed greater access for relatively unskilled participants
(perceived loss of skills and self-reliance).

Navigational devices less self reliant. Easier to undertake what would
previously have been considered difficult pursuits. Map reading knowledge
no longer required and help is just a phone call away (GPS). Therefore, less
challenging!

Climate control common these days (air conditioners & heaters), so people
cannot cope when forced into the wilderness with no flushing toilet or hair
straightener!!!.

Unfamiliar territory temperature, reliance on facilities
Opposite view is that technological devices allow
more people to experience the outdoors and decrease
the need for expensive and time-consuming rescues.
PROs - TECHNOLOGY
TECHNOLOGY AND
MOTIVATION
Often the experience of technology in everyday life
motivates people to seek outdoor activities that offer a
simpler, less complex experience.

On the other hand, many of the pursuits that people engage
in in an outdoor setting have a heavy requirement on
access to specific technologies.

For example, we might go back country ski touring to get
away from it all but rely on technology to get us there, rely
on technology for the specialist clothing we wear, and rely
on technology for the ski gear that enables us to get out
there.
EQUIPMENT OVER TIME
Read text pg. 55 & 56.



Look at the equipment/clothing brochures and tags.
Choose 4 different items, for each:
List what they are made from
What are the benefits of using these products?
What equipment/materials would have been used in the early
1900s & 1970s for the same purpose?
PROs Cont. - TECHNOLOGY AND
SOCIAL RESPONSES TO RISK-
TAKING
It is often technology that allows us to rescue people who
get into trouble in outdoor activities.
Technology also allows us to create new outdoor
experiences / activities eg. Para-gliding, kite surfing,
snowboarding.
Technology also allows us to simulate outdoor settings
indoors with wave pools, indoor rock climbing centres,
indoor ski hills in warmer climates.
Consider our rock climbing trip on Friday. What sorts of
technology we were reliant on?
TECHNOLOGY AND
COMMERCIALISATION OF THE
OUTDOOR EXPERIENCE
Outdoor gear provides an example of the relationship
between technology and commercialisation of the
outdoor experience.
In many places outdoor gear has become the new hip
clothing to be seen in and it is marketed in this way.
In much the same way that 4wd cars are now marketed
to people who may never take them off-road, outdoor
gear is marketed to people who may never use them in
their originally intended outdoor settings particularly
shoes and clothing
Way HIP
VS.
VS.
READ:


REFLECTIONS ON THE IMPACT
OF TECHNOLOGY ON OUTDOOR
EXPERIENCE
YOUR TASK:
Reflect on either your WP or Hard Rock experience
and the effect of technology on that experience. What
differences did you experience as a result of the use
of technology?

Use the following headings:
Differences in Ecological Footprint
Differences in Community
Differences in Activities
Differences in Experience of the Environment
CLASS DEBATE
As a class, debate the statement:
Technological developments in equipment have
(positively) affected participation in outdoor pursuits
2 Teams: Affirmative (agrees with this statement)
Negative (disagrees with this statement)
Each team will appoint 3 speakers.
1st Affirmative must:
- define the topic.
- present the affirmative's team line.
- outline briefly what each speaker in their team will
talk about.
- present the first half of the affirmative case.
1st negative must:
- accept or reject the definition. If you don't do this it is
assumed that you accept the definition.
- present the negative team line.
- outline briefly what each of the negative speakers
will say.
- rebut a few of the main points of the first affirmative
speaker.
- the 1st negative should spend about one quarter of
their time rebutting.
- present the first half of the negative team's case.
2nd affirmative must:

- reaffirm the affirmative's team line.
- rebut the main points presented by the 1st negative.
- the 2nd affirmative should spend about one third of
their time rebutting.
- present the second half of the affirmative's case.